Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates, who been re-elected for another term, concedes the AOC’s brand has been damaged by the bitterness of the election campaign but is confident it can be fixed.

Coates’ win allows him to continue his 27-year tenure at the top of the Olympic movement.

Speaking after the vote, Coates conceded the AOC’s brand had been damaged by the bitter campaign. But he said that damage was “easily repairable” and spoke of the sponsors the AOC had recently attracted.

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“Things are said and done in an election campaign ... my position is that we just move on, I’m not going back over what happened in this campaign,” he said.

He said the allegations that emerged of bullying and a flawed AOC culture were to be expected during a contested election campaign.

“This was an electoral campaign, an electoral campaign, and I put those things beside me, and I just move on,” he said.

Coates confirmed that a cultural review would be conducted, overseen by the chief executive, Matt Carroll. Existing bullying complaints would be independently investigated, he said, as would any others that were raised formally.

Coates’ next term, which will take him to the Tokyo Games in 2020, will be his last.

He said he was working on a transition plan, and would begin giving several candidates experience and exposure. He has previously said he would cede power and duties to Carroll, but did not give any timeline for that process on Saturday.

The focus will now turn to the impact his re-election will have on the already strained relationship with the government’s sports funding arm, the Australian Sports Commission (ASC). Coates and the ASC chair, John Wylie, have publicly fallen out, and Coates has described Roche, an ASC board member, as Wylie’s “puppet”.

Coates said he would work to repair the fractured relationship with the ASC.

“John [Wylie] and I have both been involved in business, we’ve both had our victories and our defeats. I made it quite clear that I will be ringing him,” Coates said.

He also defended sending out texts to delegates before the various voting rounds in Saturday’s meeting, instructing them how to vote for his picks for vice-presidents and executive members.

Asked whether the campaign had taken its toll personally, Coates said he would need to take time to reflect on that.

“It’s been an election campaign, and the election campaign has been vigorous,” he said.

Coates ran his campaign on the themes of continuity, stability, and independence of government. He said he was the only one with the ability and experience to continue to grow the AOC’s finances and advance its interests on the global stage.

Under his watch, the $88m the organisation received after the Sydney Olympics has grown 8% a year, and its net assets have grown from $109m in 2001 to $148.9m, all while pumping money back into sports development.

Coates’ re-election will also see him stay on as vice-president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), a role that gives Australia added clout abroad.

His win was helped by the support of Athletics Australia, the Athletes’ Commission, the winter sporting bodies, and others.

Roche’s belief that a mood for change existed across Australia’s sporting bodies appears to have been misplaced. She had pledged to bring transparency to the organisation, reduce the president’s salary from $700,000 to $100,000, improve its handling of bullying complaints, and foster a closer relationship between the AOC and ASC.

Speaking after the vote, Roche said the six-week campaign was a “pivotal moment in Australian sport”, regardless of her loss.

She congratulated Coates, but said the ballot had shown a strong mood for change across the Olympic sporting bodies. Individual sports now felt empowered to speak out about the decisions that shaped their future, she said.

“We have started a much-needed conversation about the future of Australian sport, and the responsibility the Australian Olympic committee has in supporting its member sports and athletes,” Roche said.

“There is certainly a strong desire for change. There is a desire for the AOC to place a greater focus on providing for their sports and athletes and for it to have a more collaborative relationship with the national federations and the Australian sports commission.”

The Athletes commission chair and champion pole vaulter Steve Hooker said his organisation’s support for Coates was conditional on changes in the AOC.

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“We’re happy that John is in, but also really pleased with Danni’s platform ... and the conversations that she’s started,” Hooker said.

“This campaign has been so divisive because so many people are passionate about it. Certainly in our conversations with John, he understands that things have to change,” he said.

The commission’s deputy chair and rowing champion Kim Brennan said the bullying allegations raised during the campaign needed to be addressed. Brennan said she wanted to see Coates begin a smooth transition process out of the presidency.

“What we heard loud and clear is that people want change,” she said.

“We heard from so many athletes, past and present, that the athletes want a voice, and we want to make sure that voice is heard.”

The announcement of the result of the vote was met with loud applause from the delegates.

The body that nominated Roche, Hockey Australia, said Coates must now bring transparency and good governance to the AOC.

It’s president, Melanie Woosnam, said the decision to put Roche forward was not done lightly.

“We have confidence that our calls for a fresh approach have been heard and look forward to being part of that process in partnership with the AOC, Australian Sports Commission and the leadership of both organisations to progress the Australian Olympic movement for the benefit of Australian sport and athletes,” Woosnam said.